Alabama volleyball’s season officially ended its season 11-16 with a 3-1 loss to LSU on Friday. Here’s a look at the successes and struggles of the 2024 campaign.
Successes
The younger class showed improvement. Throughout the season, several sophomores improved on their freshman years and stepped up when the team needed them most. Sophomore middle blocker Jordyn Towns played in 11 more matches this year compared to 2023 and improved in every major statistic. Despite being injured for part of the season, sophomore outside hitter Kaleigh Palmer improved her hitting percentage by over 0.1% and also upped her points per set and total blocks from 2023.
The younger class’s improvement suggests that good things are to come soon.
“We continue to keep building and continue to set the standard,” head coach Rashinda Reed said. “Alabama’s a championship culture, and we are working toward that.”
With six graduating players, Alabama has big shoes to fill for the upcoming season.
The transfers showed up. After the 2023 season, Reed secured five players through the portal, and while they all made impacts on the team, two stood out amongst the Crimson Tide. Junior outside hitter Sophie Agee started all 26 matches for Alabama and improved her number of kills and points. Senior setter Kayla Keshock had double-digit assists in all but one game this season.
With four out of the five transfers now graduating, Reed might need to return to the portal to find more talent.
Struggles
The team struggled with inconsistency in the SEC. After finishing the 2023 season with a 1-17 SEC record, Alabama knew it needed to improve. The Crimson Tide started the 2024 season 2-4 in SEC play, and things looked promising. However, Alabama finished the season with a losing record for the sixth year in a row, coming last in the SEC at 3-13.
Alabama was swept seven times in SEC play, a slight improvement from 2023 when the team was swept 12 times. With Oklahoma and reigning national champion Texas now part of the conference, Alabama needs to quickly find a way to assert itself among the SEC giants.
There was trouble in late sets. One of Alabama’s biggest weaknesses this season was faltering late in sets. On Sept. 29, Alabama was tied with Auburn 1-1 and was winning 24-22 in Set 3, but it couldn’t close things out and lost the set 29-27 and the game 3-1. Similarly, on Nov. 1, Alabama was tied 1-1, with Texas A&M leading Set 3 22-17. Alabama made an effort at a comeback, but the team’s sloppiness at the end of the set — highlighted by five errors — allowed the Aggies to win 27-25. If the Crimson Tide wants to improve, closing out sets would be a key way to do it.
“I’m proud of these ladies,” head coach Rashinda Reed said after Alabama’s loss to LSU. “We did a lot of great things together and I’m sad that our season is over. I’m proud of what they’ve done for this program. They’ve set the foundation for how we are continuing to build Alabama volleyball. This program is heading in the right direction.”
